Toronto Police end special TTC patrol by overtime officers

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A special TTC patrol by as many as 80 off-duty police officers working overtime ended Monday, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced.

In a statement, the TPS said that on-duty officers will proactively patrol the public transit system as part of regular operational work.

“Toronto Police will continue to be visible in the transit system and will continue to patrol the TTC and respond to emergencies and calls for service,” the TPS statement says. “The number of officers in the system will vary depending on need, during periods that typically generate the most calls for service and based on information provided by the TTC.”

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw announced on Jan. 26 that a team of officers on “call back” or overtime shifts would be visible throughout the public transit system all day, every day, in response to a number of violent and disturbing incidents on the TTC that shook public confidence.

Using off duty officers would ensure that on duty officers were available to respond to priority calls, Demkiw said at the time.

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Since the launch of the program, police officers have provided more than 220 referrals to individuals needing help in accessing supports, including shelter and mental health services, the TPS says.

Officers made more than 314 arrests, among them a firearm seizure at Pioneer Village subway station, an individual charged in an unprovoked attack on the Spadina streetcar and two assaults with weapons, the TPS says.

“Toronto Police will be visible in the transit system and officers will continue to patrol the TTC and respond to emergencies and calls for service,” Demkiw said in a statement Monday. “Police officers will patrol during the periods that typically generate the most calls for service, where there is a high volume of ridership with times and locations fluctuating based on our intelligence, including the number of calls for police service and information provided by the TTC. We will remain flexible to respond to the concerns of the public and will continuously assess the public safety needs, along with TTC and the City of Toronto.”

The TPS says the special patrol program was meant to be temporary.

The TPS statement notes the TTC has added 50 temporary security guards over the last month as well as Community Safety Ambassadors and Streets to Homes outreach workers.

aartuso@postmedia.com